Block entity

A block entity is extra data associated with a block, beyond the finite set of block states associated with each block.

Usage

Block entities store additional information about certain blocks, with the type of information varying by block. In some cases, this information is used to create a more complex model, such as the book on an enchantment table. In other cases, it is used to store contents of an object. Blocks with block entities can be moved by pistons.‌

List of block entities

These are the current blocks that hold block entities.

Block Entity	Usage
Beehive Bee Nest	To store bees.
Signs	To store the text.
Banners	To store the patterns.
Chest Trapped Chest Dispenser Furnace Brewing Stand Hopper Dropper Shulker Box Barrel Smoker Blast Furnace Campfire Lectern	To store their contents. Furnaces, blast furnaces and smokers also store the time until the current item is smelted, and the time until the furnace's current fuel item is exhausted. Brewing stands also store the brewing time. Hoppers also store the time until the next transfer of an item. Chests, trapped chests and shulker boxes also use the block's position and rotation for the opening and closing animation. Lecterns also store the page the book is currently on.
Beacon	To store the pyramid level, active effects, and contents. Also uses the block's position for the beacon beam.
Spawner	To store: the entity to be spawned. the delay until the next entity is spawned, and the min and max values for the next spawn delay. how many entities to spawn per spawn attempt. additional data about the entity to be spawned (such as position, effects, and entities stacked on top of it). Also uses the block's position to display the spinning mob inside.
Note Block‌	To store the note to be played.
Piston extensions and the blocks they are moving (including indirectly via slime blocks)	To store the offset of block, direction of movement, and ID (and data value, if applicable) of the moving block. (A moving block can't be stored as a block because it's not aligned to a grid cell.)
Jukebox	To play music discs, if any are inside.
Enchantment Table	For the floating book.
End Portal Ender Chest	For the particle field effect.
Mob Head	For the type of the head‌, rotation when placed on top of a block‌, and (if applicable) data of the player represented.
Command Block	For the command text, its output strength, and the output text.
End Gateway	For the teleport location and also whether to render the beam.
Structure Block	To store information about the structure.
Jigsaw Block	To store the structure pool and the block this jigsaw block becomes.
Nether Reactor Core‌	To store whether the reaction started and the time remaining in the reaction.
Daylight Sensor	To force the daylight sensor to update its output signal strength.
Flower Pot‌	To store the ID and the data value of the block displayed inside of it.
Redstone Comparator	To store its output strength.
Bed	To store color ‌ and for rendering the block.
Cauldron‌	To store details about liquid content. Cauldrons containing dyed water store water color. Cauldrons containing potions store the potion's ID and a tag of whether it is a splash potion or not.
Conduit	To check its activation area for valid activation blocks and calculate its effective range. Also used for rendering the block in its active and inactive states.
Bell	For the render of the swaying animation of the bell.

See also

• Chunk format#Block entity format – describes the save format for block entities
• Entities, which are all the dynamic, moving objects throughout the Minecraft world, plus several non-moving objects that resemble blocks.
• Block states, which are, like block entities, extra pieces of data that further define a block.